From the time the "KILLER" bees appeared on the scene.Any and every story has been blown to the proportion that has no merits as for as I am concerned.

Bottom line, when there is a massive attack, there should be a test made of the bees,(reguardless) of the fact that "this person" or animal was allergic.I have had a hive or two so aggressive you could not walk with in five feet with out getting chased.and they were "not" ahb. So the test said. I just don't make any cents.doak

Regardless of what the actual "truth" is, aren't we better served if all deaths related to bees are attributed to AHB? If the general population ever thought, outside allergic reactions, that EHB could killin viscious attacks, we would have a collective nightmare on our hands. As more beeks invade suburbia, and meet more frequent government resistance, we could be zoned out of existance. Three additional municipalities in NJ have banned beekeeping this year and more would follow if EHB could kill akin to AHB. To the general population, there would be no distinction between the two bee types.

Logged

"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Regardless of what the actual "truth" is, aren't we better served if all deaths related to bees are attributed to AHB? If the general population ever thought, outside allergic reactions, that EHB could killin viscious attacks, we would have a collective nightmare on our hands. As more beeks invade suburbia, and meet more frequent government resistance, we could be zoned out of existance. Three additional municipalities in NJ have banned beekeeping this year and more would follow if EHB could kill akin to AHB. To the general population, there would be no distinction between the two bee types.

That was my point in asking the question to begin with.... ;) I agree with your comments.

We should, for vicious attacks with loss of life, assume AHB, until proven otherwise. Not assume EFB, until proven AHB. We are sending the wrong message by the details presented. And I agree with the ramifications of such passive PR and the message presented.

I've been keeping bees in Pennsylvania for a few years now. Responded to many swarm calls. Am listed on the 911 response list. And I bet there will not be one dog killed this year, or one person killed in Pennsylvania. If it does happen , it's a million to one shot, and probably has aggravating circumstances. That will not be the case for the majority of states that now have populations of AHB. They WILL have vicious attacks and pets killed this year. I'll put money on it. And to suggest that a few isolated events (even if questionable at best) with EHBs equates into the same level of events with AHBs is outright wrong in my opinion.

You are correct, but except for the general public, who don't know squat about either of the bees,when the "media" gets through with it.to them a bee is a bee is a bee. :roll:doak

That's why as beekeepers, we need to be proactive and not reactive. And we also need to be informed, and well versed on what to say, what not to say. It's nice to think that all beekeepers know what to say, and such things as agenda, motives of money, etc., do not come into play. unfortunately, that is not the case.

May I suggest a day where we as beekeeper all across the country could all make a concentrated one day effort to talk to the public about pesticides, chemicals, and even the truth surrounding AHBs? It's called "National Honey Bee Awareness Day". Someone started a thread under the main beekeeping forum, where the thread is "pinned". Or you can also see www.nhbad.com :roll:

#1, A person doesn't have to be allergic, and doesn't have to be stung multiple times to die.Get stung once in your breathing passage and see what happens.#2, Multiple stings doesn't mean AHB.#3 The media could care less what kind of bees it is, doesn't have to be "honey bees" for them, "the Media" to make a big thing out of it and say it was honey bees. AHB or not.

#3 The media could care less what kind of bees it is, doesn't have to be "honey bees" for them, "the Media" to make a big thing out of it and say it was honey bees. AHB or not.

Had did I get involved in this one any how. :) :roll:doak

And many times it's quotes from beekeepers that do the most damage. Yes, we can not expect much from non-beekeepers who know nothing of bees. That's why in statements we should distinguish wild and feral as compared to managed hives. It not whether they are AHB in the media's eyes as you said, it's the event they report. But these events are not happening in "Joe the beekeeper's" bee yard. So it should be easy to use terminology that does not paint a bad light on bees or beekeepers. Instead of making statements about whether they are AHB, we should start pointing out that "this particular colony was wild, feral, or from a unmanaged situation". The message would be that we do a service in managing them, that bees maintained by beekeepers are not the problem, and that it's not beekeepers that are perpetuating these events, we stop them.

I bet 75% of the times a beekeeper opens his mouth when the reporter's camera is rolling, something foolish is said, either by painting the wrong picture, or by not taking advantage of the situation in making it the best situation it could be.

Of course the 25% of the smart beekeepers hang out here on beemaster, so I could not possibly be talking about any of you..... :-D

I cannot go that route.Just because a colony if feral doesn't have a thing to do with whether it is AHB or not.There are still a lot of feral bees out there that have not came into contact with the AHB.Every Bee Keeper cannot recover every swarm that leaves his/her bee yard.After a couple years in the wild the gentleness is gone.Carnelian is one of the worst when they cross out with Italian.You would think you had AHB. Been there, done that.And (had) them tested. 99.99 percent, not AHB. is what they tested.They chased me for two or three hours for several hundred yards and took a week for them to settle down. They were re queened with a new prolific Italian Queen.All I have now is survivors from feral swarms. With no Queen over 2 years old. :)doak

I cannot go that route.Just because a colony if feral doesn't have a thing to do with whether it is AHB or not.There are still a lot of feral bees out there that have not came into contact with the AHB.Every Bee Keeper cannot recover every swarm that leaves his/her bee yard.After a couple years in the wild the gentleness is gone.Carnelian is one of the worst when they cross out with Italian.You would think you had AHB. Been there, done that.And (had) them tested. 99.99 percent, not AHB. is what they tested.They chased me for two or three hours for several hundred yards and took a week for them to settle down. They were re queened with a new prolific Italian Queen.All I have now is survivors from feral swarms. With no Queen over 2 years old. :)doak

Who said anything about labeling all feral bees as AHBs? Please read my comments again. My comments clearly state that we should get away from this viewpoint that bees are or are not AHB from the media's viewpoint. My comments were aimed at portraying bees as either feral, wild, or managed. It should be loud and clear that the bees in vicious attacks, are not from managed hives.

Maybe I need to step back a step or two. I was talking about perhaps getting the media/public/non-beekeepers to understand the difference, but maybe we should start with beekeepers.

Here is a situation....

Little old lady loses her dog.

We can do what we usually do, and that is mention honey bees. We can mention "perhaps" they are AHB. We can lump all bees together, as we always have done so the public knows no difference between the bees that killed the dog, and the very same bees we keep in our hives.

Or.....

We can openly and honestly distinguish when mentioning bees that killed that dog, and define it beyond honey bees. The very honey bees we keep.

We can use words such as wild, feral, unmanaged. It should be clear that these are NOT the same bees that beekeepers keep.

But were so hung up in defining or somehow portraying every sting incident as some "honey bee" event, and for the layperson or public in general, they see no difference in that wild colony and the bees you keep.

I'll say again, it's not about AHB, it's about public perception, and clearly stating that it is not managed colonies doing the damage. And it should be clear that the public should not be concerned with managed hives. It is unmanaged colonies they should be aware of.

One last thing I'll say.Whether it was AHB's, Feral colony. If they were indeed honey bees, they were honey bees.

I don't have a handle on the record, but I would bet there there is some documented record that ( kept Managed) colonies have caused an incident. Maybe not as often. Still, just because it is a feral colony doesn't mean it is AHB. Now I'll hush. :)doak